


Step By Step

by orphan_account



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-16 12:27:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3488285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anna knows before anyone else does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Step By Step

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Counterpunch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Counterpunch/gifts).



“Pardon?”

Anna shoves her fist in her mouth. Bites it. _Anything_ to stifle the laughter swelling in her chest, because Jane’s face is just. . just _so shocked_.

Elsa doesn’t even look up from her place behind the desk, makes no indication she even heard. Anna manages a tight smile when Jane looks at her, shrugs once. It’s quiet for a moment except for the hollow clanking of a quill being tapped along the inkwell.

Jane huffs. Fidgets in the chair.

(Anna’s always liked that about her. How she almost seems to have too much energy for her own body. When she had told Elsa that, her sister had only smiled and said, “You two are cut from the same cloth.”

She doesn’t really understand what cloth has anything to do with it. Then again, she’s always been bad with metaphors.)

Anna barely hears a muttered, “good grief” as Jane leans over the desk and stills the quill in Elsa’s hand. Elsa’s head snaps up and they stare at each other. Anna stills, watches them closely and wonders who’s going to give in fir-

“I can’t dance.”

Jane’s eyes dart briefly to hers, questioning the validity of the statement. She nods, still remembers Elsa’s frustrated whispers at a dinner before shoving a guest in her direction to dance with.

He had stepped on her feet all night. Elsa sure was a stinker sometimes.

Jane’s face scrunches up, and she taps the side of her nose. Once, twice- “You’re the queen and you never learned?”

Anna follows her gaze to her sister. She never asked. Wanted to? Sure. But it’s so hard to tell what Elsa’s okay with telling; she’s gotten better- they both have- at what’s acceptable to bring up though. This seemed off limits. It was obvious that night with Elsa hunched over, arms drawing around her frame. Anna had dropped it immediately.

Elsa leans back, dropping the quill on the desk, watches it roll before stopping it. “I was just beginning to have lessons when. . .”, Elsa’s head jerks towards her but she won’t look at her. She never does when they discuss anything remotely related to their childhood.

_(“Catch me!”)_

 Elsa clears her throat, “I took up more important lessons after that. Ones with less. . _touching_.”

Anna swallows, can’t ignore the pain laced in Elsa’s voice. Couldn’t ignore it the night Elsa had told her either. Childhoods ruined in the blink of an eye because of an accident. Her gut twists and shakes, does a flip just for the sake of it.

But then Jane’s there, patting Elsa’s hand with a small, sad smile. It’s full of knowing, and Anna’s left wondering how much Elsa’s told Jane. She’s not jealous or anything, (not like _she_ had to wait thirteen years for a secret about her, of course not) because that’s why she had been so excited when she met the British explorer in search of something new. Elsa needed someone to confide in. Someone that wasn’t her or her boyfriend- suitor- _person_. Jane was perfect, and Anna had admittedly patted herself on the back when the two had hit it off.

(There had been a _few_ failed tries.

_“Anna, you can’t keep bringing strangers home. They’re not strays.”_

_“I’m trying to find you a friend!”_

Elsa was too picky anyway. Probably because she had a great sister like her to compare with. That was it.)

 Jane had been searching for something worthwhile to go off and see, and well, her sister _does_ control ice and snow. It didn’t take long for the two to become fast friends. Anna’s starting to wonder if Jane’s taken up permanent residency in the castle for how often she sees them in the office or somewhere on the castlegrounds together.

Jane’s hand stops its movements, instead settles on Elsa’s hand, and Anna leans forward, eyes narrowing at the flush creeping up Elsa’s neck. She hopes she’s not getting sick. ( _Can_ she?)

“Well that’s quite alright, but a queen really should have the ability on hand.” Jane smiles, but it’s on the side of mischievous. “So let me teach you.”

Both sister’s jerk their heads toward Jane. Elsa waves her hands, almost frantically, “That’s unnecessary. I have Anna if anyone desires a dance.”

“Yeah! Wait-no.” Jane’s proposal suddenly seems genius. “Elsa, you need to learn how to dance”, she deadpans at the thought of another _“chicken with the face of a monkey!”_

Elsa gives her a dirty look. Jane just smiles brighter, “It’s simple. We’ll go step by step.”

Elsa retracts her hand, twists it around her other, “I don’t kn-.”

“Do you trust me?”

Anna’s eyebrows raise because _wow_ , that’s low. And brilliant. Elsa’s mouth opens, shuts. The hopeful look Jane’s pulling is one of a master.

“Of course.”

Wonder if Jane has any tips.

Jane beams at Elsa, a sincere smile that Elsa instantly returns. Anna picks at her dress, feels like she’s invaded their privacy or something equally weird. She thinks of Kristoff when she chances a glance at the two which is odder still, because they share absolutely no resemblances. They’re not men. Or ice harvesters. Or have a reindeer that they sometimes talk to.

She’s confused and it’s quiet now and she doesn’t really do quiet, so she excuses herself and sets off to escape the strange situation.

She understands a week later.

* * *

 

She’s just walking about the castle, through the corridors, up the stairs when she hears music. The closer she gets to the ballroom, the easier it is to hear the low hum of music. And the laughter.

The sky’s not even awake; who would be awake at this time of night-morning?

(Besides her. She always does this though. The silence of the night is nice, highlights how different the waking hours are now.)

When she rounds the corner, the door is open slightly. Just enough for flickering shadows to filter through the crack. She wants to rush in, but something about the voices have her hesitating. She chooses to lean forward, peeps through the doorframes. All the candleholders are lit, projecting a warm glow that bathes two figures in yellow. A record player sits in the middle of the room, disc spinning round and round. Beside it sits a bottle that she swears was given to Elsa during her coronation. She squints, realizes it’s one swig from empty.

Laughter bubbles up from the swaying figures, and Anna starts when the voices become clear. She can’t remember the last time she’s heard Elsa laugh like that. No hand covers her mouth to hide a polite smile. It’s loud and clear and Elsa’s shoulders shake with it.

“Nonono.” Jane’s giggling, one hand clasped within Elsa’s and the other on her hip. “1, 2, _3_ ”, she trips over her feet, “Ha! _3_ , 4.”

There’s a frustrated noise. “M’trying Jane.” Anna blinks. Ms. Porter has been dropped from Elsa’s vocabulary at Jane’s insistence, but the familiarity in Elsa’s tone surprises her.

So does the fact that Elsa is anything but articulate right now.

Jane pulls Elsa into a steady spin, voices dropping to soft murmurs. Anna frowns, tilts just an inch further, not because she’s curious but-yeah, okay, she’s nosey-

And the door creaks.

Elsa’s head twists towards the door, eyes searching as she freezes. Jane doesn’t, keeps moving and barrels straight into Elsa. There’s a scuffing sound as the two fall, and Jane’s apologizing between bouts of laughter. Then they’re both laughing. Anna releases a breath, presses a hand over her heart to calm it.

“I don’t believe you’ve taught me that move yet.” Jane shakes her head, hits Elsa once on the shoulder.

Anna once again gets the feeling that she’s interrupting something, because they’re looking at each other funny again and all she can think is-

 _Kristoff’s red, so red. His hand palms at his neck, and he’s saying, “I love this-_ you _\- I love you.” With that face of admiration and adoration._

-Oh. _Oh._

That’s it. Anna slaps her forehead. It makes so much more sense now. Why when she goes to make sure Elsa’s ate or is going to sleep, Jane is already there, herding Elsa out of her office. Why Elsa allows Jane to go on _forever_ about her travels even when they’re not about adventures. Sometimes they’re just about simple plants. Why Elsa marvels at Jane’s sketches, and Jane returns it when Elsa fashions them in ice.

Why they’re so _awkward_  around each other. It wasn’t always like that when they first met.

(Well it was but different. Elsa still assumes that awful blank face around others, and Jane was so overwhelmed by _everything_.

It was as if she lived in a jungle or something beforehand.)

It reminds her of her and Kristoff. When they were fumbling over every single word they said to each other. (Now it’s just every other.) She had been so hesitant, so afraid because she didn’t know-

Anna slaps a hand over her mouth when she’s almost overcome with giggles. She loosens the hand, whispers, “They don’t _know_.”

Steps start padding towards her, halting her laughter. She scrambles away from the door, gleefully running through the halls. _Her sister has a crush_.

* * *

 

Now that she knows, she realizes it was painfully obvious. They naturally lean towards each other, dip their heads closer when one talks. Their shoulders brush as they walk through the castle. Occasionally she sees Jane’s arms wrapped around Elsa’s elbow, talking rapidly about something that only results in an amused look from Elsa and proceeds to drag her sister off somewhere.

Even Olaf is funny around Jane.

When Jane enters a room, Olaf scrambles over himself just to get a hug. Joyfully calls her name and presents a crumpled flower. Every time. Never falters. Anna wonders if Elsa would have been like that- so excited- if she hadn’t been- Anna stops the thought. (Her heart clenches painfully at the realization that everything isn’t fair and bad things happen to genuinely good people.)

They still don’t know. Or at least she thinks they don’t. It’s harder to tell with Jane, because she hasn’t known her for that long, but Elsa?

Elsa has no idea.

She decides to broach the subject one afternoon while Kristoff is explaining the ice business to Jane. She throws herself into the chair, taps at the armchairs, “Elsa?”

Elsa hums, finger holding her page as she looks up from her book. Anna grips the chair, thinks _here goes_ and, “So, _Jane_.”

Elsa raises an eyebrow, stays silent. Anna sees a flicker of something in her eyes, but it’s gone in an instant. Anna smiles smugly. She has plenty of time if Elsa wants to play this game. Kristoff can go on for hours about ice and Jane is too thirsty for any knowledge and too polite to stop him. “That is her name”, Anna receives a patronizing pat to the head when Elsa reaches over, “good job.” Elsa pauses, tilts her head, “Though I don’t think that’s her accent.”

“No”, Anna growls, grabbing the offending limb. She squeezes it to get her meaning through, “You and her?”

“Are friends?” Elsa’s face is drawn together in confusion and Anna releases her hand, scrubs at her face because this may take longer than she previously thought.

Anna freezes because oh _geez_ , what if she was wrong? What if they’re just close _friends_ and she twisted it and made it something more and that’s just awful because this is first Elsa’s friend who isn’t her or a talking snowman. She scratches her neck, hopes they can laugh about this maybe-not really- sorta misunderstanding later.

“I just thought-“

The door swings open, Jane steps in, and Elsa considerably brightens. And perhaps turns a little red.

Anna sinks into the chair as the two talk and allows an arrogant grin to take over her face, because really, when has she ever been wrong before?

* * *

 

Anna hears the music almost every night now.

In the mornings, Elsa and Jane both have dark smudges under their eyes, but they smile at each other as if there’s a secret only they know. Anna loves that Jane is another person to add to the list of those that can make Elsa smile. It was far too short for awhile there.

She’s happy for Elsa; she really is. But her heart twists at the thought that Elsa hasn’t come to her yet. That they haven’t stayed up a whole night talking about how Elsa feels about Jane, like they had about Kristoff. Even if Elsa doesn’t completely know yet, she has to realize something’s off. Right?

(Then she thinks about the hesitation that still crosses Elsa’s face before she hugs her. About the fear in her eyes when a child runs up, asking for the magic.

Elsa still doesn’t quite know how to interact with people past the textbook conversations that were drilled into her.)

Knocks sound at her door, light and fast. “Anna, time to go.”

Anna bounds to the door, yanks it open- laughs. Elsa glares at her, but it’s a little difficult to see with the books stacked in her arms. Jane’s behind her with a similar stack, popping up and down on the balls of her feet, “Let’s go!”

Kristoff had mentioned the trolls once, and that’s all it took for Jane to insist on a visit. She had spent a week in the library, pouring over any material that had that covered the trolls. (She only knew of one.)

The impressive part was that she had got Elsa to, begrudgingly, come along.

( _“I can’t possibly remember everything I see to record it. I need you to relay your experience for my studies.”_

_“Jane, I really have work I need to-“_

_“Please?”_

It didn’t require much after that.)

Anna feels her lips pulling up on their own accord when she spots Kristoff tying the harness on Sven in the courtyard. He looks up, gives a quick wave before returning to his work. He hasn’t seen his family in weeks due to a storm passing through the mountains. The wind still lashes at her clothes, whips her hair in her face.

She couldn’t imagine being away from her family. Not ever again. (When she told Kristoff that, he had looked at her and- “ _You guys are my family too.”_ )

“Aren’t you just a sweetheart?” Jane pats Sven’s head, cooing at him. Sven can’t get enough of it, tail thumping happily against the stone even after Jane gets in the sleigh.

Anna runs past Elsa, hopping into the sled. “I’m steering!”

Kristoff plops down beside her. Rolls his eyes, “I don’t think so Fiestypants.”

“You let me last time.” She crosses her arms, juts out her lower lip.

Kristoff raises an eyebrow, “That’s not gonna work, but nice effort there. I don’t exactly want to be responsible if the Queen of Arendelle gets injured in a sleigh crash because you were in charge.”

“Elsa trusts me”, she turns to her sister, “don’t y-“

“No.”

Anna sniffs. “Well then.”

“If it’s any comfort”, Jane starts, leaning over and rummaging through one of the many overflowing satchels at her feet, “I fully trust your steering capabilities. Aha!”

Jane pulls out a dark cloak and throws it over Elsa’s shoulders, “I really do adore your dresses, but you’re asking for a cold.”

Anna can’t figure out if she’s smiling because of Jane’s confidence in her abilities or at the blush she’s caused to spread over Elsa’s face.

Anna elbows Kristoff, leans towards him and drops her voice, “How come you didn’t bring me something warm?”

“What? But. .you have a coat on.”

“That’s not the point!”

* * *

 

“Kristoff’s home!”

“He’s brought the girl!”

“He’s brought three!”

One troll walks past the tree of them, stops in front of Elsa. He nods, eyebrows wiggling, “Good for you lad.” Anna laughs, because _no way would that ever happen._  Or maybe it’s because Elsa’s face is one of pure disbelief.  There’s a sharp intake of air and then Jane’s in front of Elsa, hands on hips, “I should think not!”

The trolls’ shouts drop to murmurs as they blink, looking between Jane and Elsa.

“Must be taken.”

“That’s not a flex arrangement.”

“I still don’t see any ring though!”

Elsa gives Jane a curious look, causing the woman to redden, tucking a stray hair behind her ear, “That’s not what I me-“

“So you’re free?”

Jane’s mouth drops, and Anna’s really looking forward to this answer because- geez, she’s in a pickle. But Elsa plants herself right beside Jane, slightly blocking her view from the troll, “No!”

Anna bites her lip, hears Kristoff chuckle beside her and she really hopes she doesn’t lose it. Elsa would kill her for laughing at her, but the stuttering messes that are Jane and Elsa right now is just- _just too adorable_.

Anna feels a tap at her foot. She looks down to see Bulda, head shaking at the crowd around the two women, “Are they causin’ trouble? I can get them to stop.”

Anna hums, sees the lopsided smile that Elsa’s giving Jane that she’s pretty sure she hasn’t seen since the Great Thaw, shakes her head. “No, I don’t think they’re causing trouble.”

“Well then”, Bulda winks and strolls over to the two. She gestures for Elsa to bend down, smiles when she immediately does. “Oh a queen, how romantic”, she coos at Jane, tilting Elsa’s head back and nodding. “Good teeth too.” She releases Elsa and beckons to Jane.

Jane looks far too excited, “Is this what you do to every person you meet?” Her hand is scribbling away at a notebook in her lap, going sideways off the page as Bulda forces her to look up.

Bulda’s face scrunches up, “No dear, that’d be weird.”

“Then why-“

“Beautiful eyes”, Bulda turns to Elsa, ignoring Jane’s question, “and a wild heart too. You’ll do well together.”

Anna can’t stop the laughter that burst forwards, only hunches over as she grabs at her sides. Jane laughs with her, but it sounds a bit strangled. Elsa just looks like she’s trying to figure out how to breathe again.

Kristoff shakes his head and walks over, picking up Bulda despite her protests, “Ma, just stop, will ya?”

She crosses her arms, turns her head to the side, “I didn’t say anything that they don’t already know.”

Something cold skims her cheek. She looks up, goes cross-eyed when a snowflake falls on the tip of her nose. A glance at her sister shows wringing hands and darting eyes. She should have thought of this, should have remembered how pushy the trolls are and how uncomfortable Elsa could get. She had thought it would be fun, didn’t think about her sister and-

Jane’s grabbing Elsa’s hand and pulling her up, “Brilliant idea, Elsa.” She turns to the younger trolls with awe on their faces, “I think they need a little bit more to play in though.”

“I-”, Elsa pauses, raises her hands when Jane nods towards the trolls, “Y-yes. Of course.”

Anna feels the familiar chill settle across her arms as Elsa casts, smiles when even the older trolls’ faces lighten at the sight of snow falling and knows she shares the same look.

“Oh”, Jane sighs, “A million times and I could never get tired of this. It’s just so-“

“Lovely”, Elsa supplies, and Anna isn’t judging, but _damn_ , that’s smooth, because Elsa’s only looking at Jane with this little smile that Anna’s never seen.

Jane just returns it with a dopey one of her own.

* * *

 

It’s dark on their way home, but the lantern hanging off the sleigh shines brightly, swinging the light from side to side as it sways. Even so, it’s not too hard for Anna to act as if she doesn’t see Jane’s and Elsa’s fingers brushing against each other’s. Not too hard to ignore when they slowly intertwine.

Maybe not everything needs to be brought to attention; she’s learned that now. Maybe Elsa will come to Anna in her own time and then they can gush over anything and everything that comes to mind.

She may not notice everything. Like when Elsa’s busy, so jumping up behind her and causing her to spill ink everywhere isn’t exactly ideal. Or when the snow on the mountain betrays exactly how close she is to the cliff, and Kristoff has to grab her before she takes a hundred-foot drop. ( _“Two hundred.”_ )

But it’s nice when she does.

Like when she sees the glances Kristoff throws her way when he thinks she’s not looking. Or how she always thinks she sees a white blur slip around the corner as she’s walking to her room, and when she gets there, there’s always a plate of chocolates waiting for her after she’s done with lessons for the day.

Or how after years of wishing for love and friends and _god, she just wanted a family again_ , she finally has one. It’s not exactly what she imagined.

That’s because she never could have guessed that she would have something as perfect as this.

Never would she have placed herself with an iceman who’s so much warmer than the ice he breaks. Or having a sister with winter in her veins. Or an explorer who gets into almost as much trouble as she does but still seems so poised at the same time. She’s fairly sure it never crossed her mind to think of a talking reindeer or a snowman who loves summer either.

But she has it. She has them. And it has taken steps to get there, many more to keep going. Sometimes one forward, two back, but it’s always for the better. And, she thinks, it’s so much more enjoyable with life like that.

Just step by step.

**Author's Note:**

> I've got so many Janelsa feels and ideas but so little time. Here's to Frozen Fever coming out next week ^.^  
> Let's just imagine that record players existed that early on, yeah?


End file.
